STATUE 


&  «•* 


&   BOSTON  I A    $jL 


JOSIAH   QUINCY 


gtfiFTOF  Julia  KLtzpatrick  1! 

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* 


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Htl\.,tj,p,  Printing 


s  T  A  T  13   E 


JOSIAH     QUIXCY 


dedication    ci:im;mon  I  ES, 


OCT"  1- 1:  l:    11.     16  79. 


[itjj  Jlrcltmtnani  ^prorccinnas. 


City    Documeh  i    No.    1  L5. 


PRINTED     BY     ORDER     OF     THE     CITY     COUNCIJ 

18  7  9. 


•  Q7&7 


21168 


BOSTON  COLLEGE  LIBRARY 
CHESTNUT  NftL  MA   02)67 


^ROCKWELLS 


CHURCHILL* 
BOSTON. 


'.SG';' 


CITY    OF    BOSTO  \ 


In  Board  of  Aldekmkn,  October  L3,  1 
Ordered,  That  the  oration  of  His  Honor  tin-  IVfayor, 
delivered  at  the  dedication  of  the  Statue  of  Joaiah  Quincy, 
together  with  the  presentation  address  of  Alderman  Tucker, 
and  such  other  documents  relating  to  the  subject  as  ma\  be 
of  interest,  be  printed  as  a  city  document,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Committee  on  Printing;  and  that  five  hundred 
extra  copies  be  printed. 


Read  twice,  and  passed.  Sent  down  tor  concurrence. 
October  23,  came  up,  concurred.  Approved  by  the  Mayor 
October  25,  1879. 


Attest  : 

S.    F.  McCLEAIiV. 


PRELIMINARY    PR(  )CEEDIN(  IS. 


At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  J11I3  L2,  L875,  the 
following  communication  was  received  from  the  Mayor: 

To  the  Board  of  .  Udermen  of  the  <  'it;/  of  Boston  :  — 

Gentlemen, — In  L861  the  city  received,  under  the  will 
of  Jonathan  Phillips,  the  sum  <>f  $20,000,  the  income  from 
which  was  to  be  expended  in  adorning  and  embellishing  the 
streets  and  public  places.  In  accepting  the  bequest,  the 
City  Council  authorized  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  with  the 
approval  of  the  Mayor,  to  expend  the  income  in  accordance 
with  the  terms  of  the  trust.  No  expenditure  baa  been  made 
from  the  income  up  to  this  time,  and  the  amount  subject  to 
the  order  of  your  Board  on  the  first  of  May  last  was  $18,160, 
a  sum  sufficiently  large  to  make  it  proper  for  yon  to  consider 
the  manner  in  which  the  wishes  of  the  testator  shall  be 
executed.  Although  the  City  Government  can,  under  the 
terms  of  the  will,  spend  the  money  annually  for  adornments 
of  a  temporary  character,  it  would  seem  to  be  more  in 
accordance  with  the  spirit  of  the  trust  to  invest  it  only  in 
permanent  works  of  art  or  beauty;  and  this  1  conceive  to 
have  been  the  object  of  those  who  have  preceded  us  allow- 
ing the  fund  to  accumulate  until  it  could  he  expended  in  a 
manner  to  do  honor  to  the  generosity  of  the  founder.  In 
calling  your  attention  to  the  subject  at  this  time,  permit  me 
to  suggest  that  this  money  affords  an  opportunity  for  carry- 
ing out  a  proposition  which  has  been  frequently  made, 
namely,  to  erect   a    statue  in  front  ol'  the  City  Hall,  on  the 


6  STATUE     OF    JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

right  of  the  entrance  from  School  street.  Among  those  who 
have  been  mentioned  as  deserving  subjects  for  such  com- 
memoration, Josiah  Quincy  stands  foremost  in  the  extent  and 
value  of  services  rendered  this  municipality  ;  and  there  would 
be  a  special  fitness  in  using  this  money  for  the  purpose  of 
doing  him  honor.      «"• 

SAMUEL  C.  COBB, 

Mayor. 

Referred,  on  motion  of  Alderman  Prescott,  to  a  special 
committee,  consisting  of  Aldermen  Prescott,  Pope,  and 
Viles. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  October  18,  1875, 
Alderman  Prescott  submitted  the  following  report :  — 

The  Special  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  to  whom 
was  referred  the  communication  from  His  Honor  the  Mayor 
in  relation  to  the  expenditure  of  the  income  from  the  bequest 
of  Jonathan  Phillips,  for  adorning  and  embellishing  the 
streets  and  public  places  in  this  city,  having  carefully 
considered  the  subject,  beg  leave  to  submit  the  following 
report :  — 

It  appears,  from  the  language  used  in  making  the  bequest, 
that  the  purpose  of  the  testator  was  to  have  the  income  ex- 
pended annually  ;  but  as  this  has  hot  been  done,  we  are  called 
upon  to  consider  the  use  to  which  it  would  be  proper  to  apply 
the  fund  which  has  been  allowed  to  accumulate  during  the 
past  fourteen  years,  and  which  now  amounts  to  something 
over  $18,000. 

In  his  communication  the  Mayor  suggests  that  it  should  be 
used  to  procure  a  Statue  of  Josiah  Quincy,  the  second  Mayor 
of  this  city,  to  be  located  in  front  of  the  City  Hall.  The 
committee  have  conferred  with  some  of  the  leading  citizens 
of  Boston,  and  find  that  the  suggestion  is  generally  received 


PREL1  M  I  N  A  i;  v     PR0CEEDIN08  7 

with  favor,     [f  the  money  is  to  be  used  for  the  purpose 
erecting  a  statue,  there  appears  to  be  but  one  opinion  a 
the  propriety  of  selecting  Josiafa   Quincy,   whose   valuable 
services  in  organizing  our  municipal  government  will  ata 
be  gratefully  remembered   by  the   citizens  of  Boston,  and 
whose  example,  as  an  able,  energetic,  and  upright  magistrate, 
will  ever  continue  to  exerl   a  powerful  influence  upon  our 
municipal  councils. 

A  question  was  raised  by  one  of  the  gentlemen  whom  the 
committee  consulted,  and  whose  opinion  ie  entitled  to  greal 
weight,  as  to  the  propriety  of  using  this  mouej  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  any  statue  ;  luil  the  City  Solicitor  decides 
that  its  use  for  such  a  purpose  would  not  conflict  with  tin- 
terms  of  the  trust.  It  does  not  appear  ilia)  the  testator  had 
any  very  definite  ideas  as  to  the  manner  in  which  the  income 
should  be  expended.  He  confided  largely  in* the  discretion 
of  the  City  Government.  An  annual  expenditure  would,  of 
course,  preclude  the  erection  of  statues,  on  account  of  the 
smallness  of  the  sum  ;  hut,  in  view  of  the  fad  that  the  income 
has  been  allowed  to  accumulate  until  it  amounts  to  a  consider-: 
able  sum,  there  would  seem  to  be  no  more  appropriate  waj 
of  perpetuating  the  generosity  of  the  founder  of  the  trust  than 
by  adopting  the  Mayor's  suggestion. 

The  committee  have  made  some  inquiries  in  regard  to  the 
cost  of  a  bronze  statue,  with  a  suitable  pedestal,  and  find 
that  the  sum  now  subject  to  the  order  of  Hoard  is  ample. 
They  would,  therefore,  respectfully  recommend  the  passage 
of  the  accompanying  order  :  — 

Ordered,  That  His  Honor  the  Mayor,  with  three  members 
of  this  Board,  be  a  special  committee  with  authority  to  eon- 
tract  for  the  delivery  to  this  city  of  a  bronze  Statue  of  Josiah 
Quincy,  second  Mayor  of  Boston;  and  with  authority  also 
to  contract  for  the  construction  of  a  suitable  pedestal  for  said 
statue,  to  be  located  in  front  of  the  City  Hall  ;  the  cost    of 


8  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

the  statue  and  pedestal  not  to  exceed  the  sum  of  eighteen 
thousand  dollars. 

October  25th  the  order  was  amended  by  adding,  "said 
sum  to  be  paid  from  the  income  of  the  Phillips-street  Fund, 
held  by  the  Auditor  of  Accounts,"  and  passed  as  amended. 

Aldermen  Charles  J.  Prescott,  A.  O.  Bigelow,  and  Roland 
Worthington  were  appointed  on  the  committee. 

Soon  after  its  appointment  this  committee  met,  and 
authorized  its  chairman  to  apply  to  William  W.  Story,  of 
Rome,  and  Thomas  Ball,  of  Florence,  for  models  of  a  Statue 
of  Quincy,  offering  five  hundred  dollars  to  the  artist  whose 
design  should  not  be  accepted. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  January  10,  1876, 
Alderman  Bigelow  offered  the  following  :  — 

"Ordered,  That  his  Honor  the  Mayor,  with  Aldermen , 

be  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  proposed 
Statue  of  Josiah  Quincy,  with  all  the  authority  conferred 
by  an  order  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  passed  October  26, 
1875." 

Read  twice  and  passed  ;  and  Aldermen  A.  O.  Bigelow, 
John  T.  Clark,  and  Thomas  J.  Whidden  were  appointed  on 
the  committee. 

In  1876  models  were  received  from  the  artists  above 
named.  Several  gentlemen  interested  in  art  matters, 
together  with  the  members  of  the  Quincy  family,  were 
invited  to  inspect  the  models,  and  advise  the  committee 
as  to  their  respective  merits. 

The  verdict  of  the  art  critics  was  in  favor  of  the  model 
submitted  by  Mr.  Story,  while  the  Quiucy  family  decided  in 
favor  of  that  made  by  Mr.  Ball. 

The  committee  decided  to  accept  Mr.  Ball's  design,  and  a 
contract  was  therefore  made  with  him  to  furnish  a  statue  of 
heroic  size,  for  the  sum  of  twelve  thousand  dollars  in  gold. 


I'li  KM  M  I  \  \  i;  y     PROCEEDINGS  !  I 

In  1877  no  committee  was  appointed,  nor  any  further 
action  taken. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  September  27, 

1878,  Alderman  Whidden  offered  the  following:  — 
"Ordered,  Thai  his  Honor  the  Mayor,  with  Aldermen , 

be  appointed  to  have  charge  of  the  erection  of  the  Statue 
of  Josiah  Quincy,  under  the  contract  made  with  Thomas 
Ball." 

Read  twice  and  passed;  and  Aldermen  Thomas  J.  Whid- 
den, John  P.  Spaulding,  and  Lewis  < '.  Whiton  were  ap- 
pointed on  the  committee. 

In  1878  Mr.  Ball  was  requested  to  furnish  a  design  fora 
pedestal,  which  he  did,  and  offered  to  superintend  the  con- 
struction  of  a  pedestal  of  Italian  marble,  which  he  recom- 
mended as  suitable  for  the  purpose.  This  offer  was  accepted, 
and  Mr.  Ball  was  requested  to  construct  a  pedestal,  accord- 
ing to  his  design,  at  a  cost  of  eight  hundred  dollars. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen  February  3,  1879, 
an  order  was  passed  similar  in  terms  to  the  above  order 
passed  September  27,  1878,  and  Aldermen  Joseph  A. 
Tucker,  Solomon  B.  Stebbins,  and  Daniel  I).  Kelly  were 
appointed  on  the  committee. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  September   1. 

1879,  Alderman  Tucker  offered  (he  following:  — 
"Ordered,  That  the  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 

on  the  Erection  of  the  Statue  to  Josiah  Quincy,  and  the 
Joint  Committee  in  charge  of  tin-  Statue  o{'  Abraham  Lincoln, 
acting  together,  he  authorized  to  make  suitable  arrange- 
ments for  the  dedication  of  both  of  said  structures  on  the 
17th  of  September,  1879,  —  the  expense  attending  the  same, 
not  exceeding  five  thousand  dollars,  to  he  charged  to  the 
appropriation  for  incidentals." 

Read  twice  and  passed. 

September  15,  1879,  on  motion  of  Alderman   Slade,  the 


10  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

Board  of  Aldermen  reconsidered  the  above  order ;  and, 
after  discussion,  on  motion  of  Alderman  Kelly,  the  subject 
was  indefinitely  postponed. 

September  25,  1879,  the  Common  Council  passed  the  fol- 
lowing :  — 

"  Ordered,  That  the  Committee  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen 
on  the  Erection  of  the  Statue  of  Josiah  Quincy,  and  the 
Joint  Special  Committee  in  charge  of  the  Statue  Commemo- 
rating Emancipation,  acting  together,  be  authorized  to  make 
suitable  arrangements  for  the  dedication  of  both  of  said 
statues, — the  expense  attending  the  same,  not  exceeding 
one  thousand  dollars,  to  be  charged  to  the  appropriation  for 
incidentals." 

September  29  the  order  was  passed  in  concurrence  by  the 
Board  of  Aldermen. 

The  Joint  Special  Committee  in  charge  of  the  Statue  Com- 
memorating Emancipation  was  appointed  as  follows  :  — 

June  3,  1879,  Aldermen  Charles  H.  B.  Breck,  Daniel  D. 
Kelly,  and  Solomon  B    Stebbins  : 

June  5,  1879,  Councilmen  Henry  W.  Swift  of  Ward  9, 
Nathan  Sawyer  of  Ward  18,  Paul  H.  Kendricken  of  Ward 
20,  Oscar  B.  Mowry  of  Ward  11,  and  Benjamin  F.  Anthony 
of  Ward  19. 

October  9,  1879,  on  motion  of  Mr.  Swift  it  was 

"  Ordered,  That  the  use  of  the  Common  Council  Chamber 
be  allowed  on  Saturday  next  for  the  services  of  dedicating 
the  Statue  of  Josiah  Quincy,  if  the  weather  be  unfavorable 
for  conducting  the  services  in  the  open  air." 


DESt'Ul  PTION 


QUINCY    STATUE 


The  total  heighl  of  the  monumenl  is  eighteen  feel  - 
inches.  The  base  consists  of  a  step  and  block  of  Quincj 
granite  two  feet  nine  indies  high  and  seven  feel  eighl  inches 
square  at  the  base.  The  pedestal  and  die,  which  are  of 
Italian  marble,  give  seven  feel  and  ten  inches  more  in 
height,  and  the  die  is  four  feet  square!  The  die  weighs 
seven  tons,  and  the  pedestal  blocks  about  five  tons  each. 
The  pedestal  and  die  correspond  in  general  design  and  size 
with  those  on  which  the  figure  of  Franklin  -land-  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  entrance  to  the  City  Hall,  and  a  circular 
walk  of  concrete  has  been  laid  around  the  Statue,  with  a 
short  walk  connecting  it  with  the  paved  approach  to  the 
hall  entrance,  this  feature  also  corresponding  with  the  sur- 
roundings of  the  Franklin  statue.  On  the  front  of  the  die, 
feeing  School  street,  is  a  bronze  plate,  bearing  the  following 
inscription,  in  raised  letters  :  — 


JOSIAH    QUINCY. 

I  772-1  864. 

MASSACHUSETTS   SENATE,    1804. 

CONGRESS,    1805-1813. 

JUDGE  OF  MUNICIPAL  COURT,   1822. 

MAYOR  OF  BOSTON,  1823-1828. 

PRESIDENT  OF  HARVARD  UNIVERSITY,  1829-1845. 


12  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

On  the  side  of  the  die  facing  the  central  walk  is  the  follow- 
ing inscription,  on  a  bronze  plate  :  — 


ERECTED    A.  D.    1879 
FROM     FUNDS    BEQUEATHED 

TO    THE    CITY    OF    BOSTON 

BY 

JONATHAN    PHILLIPS. 


The  other  sides  of  the  die  are  plain. 

On  the  base  block  of  the  statue,  facing  the  central  walk, 
is  inscribed,  "Thomas  Ball,  Sc,  1878;"  and  on  the  reverse 
side  of  the  block  the  founders'  inscription,  "  Gegossen  durch 
FERD.  MILLER  &  Sonne,  Mimchen,  1879." 

The  figure  is,  as  will  be  seen,  much  above  life  size,  and  is 
thus  made  the  more  imposing.  It  is  a  noble  work  of  art, 
and  most  creditable  to  the  sculptor,  Thomas  Ball.  The 
figure  stands  erect,  with  the  weight  posed  on  the  right 
foot,  the  other  foot  being  slightly  advanced.  Over  the 
left  shoulder  is  carelessly  thrown  a  cloak,  which  appears  to 
have  slipped  from  the  right  shoulder,  and  the  edge,  passing 
beneath  the  right  arm,  is  gathered  up  in  front  and  held  in 
the  left  hand,  from  which  it  hangs  in  heavy,  bronze  folds, 
while  the  right  hand  falls  naturally  by  the  side.  This  outer 
garment  nearly  conceals  the  lower  part  of  the  figure,  and 
gives  the  opportunity  for  the  classic  disposition  of  drapery 
Avhich  most  sculptors  consider  requisite  to  the  best  artistic 
effect.  The  disposition  of  the  cloak  is,  however,  such  as  to 
leave  the  outlines  of  the  upper  part  of  the  figure  clearly 
expressed  beneath  a  coat  closely  buttoned,  above  which 
protrudes  the  old-fashioned,  elaborated  frill  of  the  shirt 
front.     The  head  is  turned    slightly  to  the    right,   aud  the 


in.  SI   i;  I  PTIOH  13 

pose  as  a  whole  i-  easj  and  most  dignified  :tu<l  impressive. 
The  countenance  is  said,  by  those  besl  qualified  to  jud 
to  be  an  excellenl  likeness  of  the  original.  The  light,  bra 
hue  of  the  bronze,  and  it-  gloss,  will  be  softened  by  time, — 
the  bronze  growing  darker,  and  it-  gloss  entirely  disappear- 
ing. This  change  will  favorably  affect  the  lines  of  the  figure, 
which  will  become  less  stiff  and  obtrusive,  and  the  expression 
of  the  countenance  will  become  more  lifelike. 

The  work  of  erecting  the  monumeut  was  done  under  the 
direction  of  Mr.  Clough,  the  City  Architect,  b\  ex-Alderman 
Thomas  J.  Whidden. 

The  cost  o\'  placing  the  Statue  on  the  pedestal  was  defrayed 
by  the  artist.  The  cost  of  the  pedestal,  in  [taly,  was  1800; 
its  freight  and  insurance,  $161.92.  The  front  tablet  cost 
$125,  and  the  side  tablet  probably  th<'  Bame  amount.  The 
cost  of  foundation,  filling,  and  grading  around  the  -nine. 
providing  two  granite  plinth  blocks  or  sub-bases,  and  erect- 
ing the  marble  pedestal,  was  s!i;);;.ls.  sIl'.iiimi  was  paid 
for  the  Statue,  making  the  aggregate  of  expenditure  exceed 
$14,000,  — defrayed  by  the  Phillips  Fund. 


THE  DEDICATION   EXER<  [SES. 


On  Saturday,  October  11,  1879,  the  dedicatory  exercises 
were  held  in  the  Common  Council  Chamber,  beffinnine 
oik!  o'clock.  Arrangements  had  been  aiade  for  the  services 
aboul  the  Statue  in  the  ( lity  Hall  yard,  bul  the  uncertain  state 
of  the  weather  made  il  prudenl  to  hold  the  exercises  within 
doors.  The  Statue  was  unveiled  bytheCitj  Architect,  with- 
out ceremony,  before  several  hundred  people,  gathered  in 
School  street  and  upon  the  Citv  Hall  green,  al  a  few  min- 
utes before  one  o'clock. 

Before  the  hour  named  for  the  exercises  a  large  number 
of  the  invited  guests  assembled  in  the  Mayor's  office.  The 
Quincy  family  was  represented  bj  ex-Mayor  Josiah  Quincy, 
Josiah  P.  Quincy,  Esq.,  (Jen.  Samuel  M.  Quincy,  Edmund 
Quincy,  Esq.,  and  Dr.  Henry  P.  Quincy.  There  was  also 
present  Mr.  William  Hayden,  who  is  nearly  ninety  years  of 
age,  and  is  the  sole  surviving  representative  of  Mr.  Quincy'a 
administration,  having  served  as    Auditor.1     The   four  vet- 


'When,  in  the  year  1823,  Mr.  Quincy  entered  upon  his  duties  as  Mayor  of  th< 
of  Boston,  his  eager  and  searching  investigation  found,  as  among  the  principal  reforms 
necessary  to  bo  made,  tin  loose  and  irregular  manner  in  which  the  mouej  con 
had  been  conducted,  [n  the  second  year  of  his  administration,  and  as  soon  as  more 
pressing  affairs  had  been  arranged,  he  sel  himself  about  to  devise  some  fixed  and 
regular  mode  of  managing  the  financial  affairs  of  the  city.  He  wrote,  with  his  own 
hand,  the  ordinance  establishing  the  office  of  Auditor  of  Accounts,  and  instituting  a 
system  of  finance  which,  through  all  the  fluctuations  of  time  and  population,  has 
amply  answered  its  intended  purposes  ever  since.  Under  the  provisions  of  thai  ordi- 
nance Mr.  William  Hayden  was  elected  the  firs!  Auditor  of  Accounts  of  the  Citj  of 
Boston,  and  continued  to  hold  the  office  for  nearly  seventeen  years.  He  returned  the 
following  answer  to  the  invitation  of  the  committee:  — 


16  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

erans  of  Quincy  market — Messrs.  Harmon  Curtis,  Nathan 
Kobbins,  Jonathan  Fletcher,  and  Ebenezer  Holclen,  who 
have  been  engaged  in  business  there  ever  since  the  market 
was  erected  —  were  also  among  the  invited  guests  present, 
as  was  Mr.  Moses  Williams,  who  was  a  member  of  the  Com- 
mon Council  in  1822,  and  took  an  active  interest  in  the  pros- 
perity of  the  market.  The  committees  having  had  charge 
of  the  erection  of  statues  in  former  City  Governments  came 
in  response  to  invitations  ;  and  among  the  invited  guests 
who  accepted  were  the  Hon.  Robert  C.  Winthrop,  Hon. 
Charles  Francis  Adams,  ex-Mayor  Samuel  C.  Cobb,  ex- 
Mayor  Alexander  H.  Rice,  Hon.  Josiah  G.  Abbott,  Gen. 
N.  P.  Banks,  Rev.  Dr.  Blagden,  Gen.  A.  P.  Martin,  Rev. 

"  Malden,  October  8,  1879. 
His  Honor  Frederick  O.  Prince,  Mayor  of  the  Citt  of  Boston  :  — 

Bear  Sir, —  I  have  the  honor  to  acknowledge  receipt  of  an  invitation  of  your  com- 
mittee of  the  City  Council  of  Boston,  to  attend  the  ceremonies  incident  to  the  dedica- 
tion of  the  Statue  of  Josiah  Quincy,  which  invitation  I  thankfully  accept,  and  shall 
surely  be  present  at  the  time  assigned,  if  the  weather  and  the  infirmities  of  old  age  do 
not  interfere  to  prevent. 

Of  all  the  executive  officers  holding  office  under  the  City  Council  during  the  mayor- 
alty of  Mr.  Quincy  I  am  now  the  sole  survivor,  and  it  will  be  one  among  the  many 
reasons  I  have  to  be  thankful  to  Divine  Providence  if  I  am  permitted  to  participate 
in  the  honors  now  to  be  paid  to  the  memory  of  that  illustrious  citizen  and  magistrate. 

I  have  treasured,  as  among  the  happiest  incidents  of  my  long  life,  my  official  con- 
nection with  Mr.  Quincy.  The  personal  friendship  which  he  was  so  land  as  to  bestow 
upon  me,  and  the  constant  and  cordial  good  counsel  and  advice  which  I  received  from 
him,  have  been  of  continuous  and  inestimable  advantage  to  me.  In  those  early  days 
he  was  '  my  guide,  philosopher,  and  friend.'  I  am  happy  to  be  allowed  to  bear  this 
testimony,  being  the  only  one  of  his  subordinate  municipal  officers  here  on  earth  to 
speak  of  him. 

I  will  here  repeat,  with  a  feeling  which  the  lapse  of  time  has  only  increased,  some 
closing  remarks  made  b}r  me  on  another  occasion,  in  regard  to  my  connection  with 
Mr.  Quincy:  '  I  was  close  to  him  —  in  daily  contact  with  him  —  during  nearly  the 
whole  of  his  official  career  in  the  mayoralty.  I  was  an  admiring  witness  of  his  single- 
hearted  devotion,  his  unwearied  assiduity,  and  his  indomitable  energy  in  the  service 
of  the  city.    I  honor  and  reverence  the  name  and  the  memory  of  Josiah  Quincy.' 

With  many  thanks  to  your  committee  for  the  kindness  of  their  invitation,  I  sub- 
scribe myself,  Mr.  Mayor,  respectfully, 

Your  friend  and  servant, 

William  Hayden." 


DE  DICATION     I.  \  BR(   [81  17 

R.  C.  Waterston,  George  William  Phillips,  Rev.  J.  P.  Bod- 
lish,  Mr.  Thomas  Ball,  the  sculptor,  and  pasl   member 
both  branches  of  the  (  ii.\  <  rovernment. 

At  a  few  minutes  before  one  o'clock  the  invited  guests, 
led  by  the  Mayor  and  Honorable  Josiah  Quincy,  proceeded 
to  the  ( !ommon  ( louncil  <  lhamber. 

At  one  o'clock  the  exercises  began  with  a  voluntary  l»\ 
the  ( rermania  Band. 

Mayor  Prince  presented  Rev.  I>r.  S.  K.  Lothrop,  who 
offered  the  following 


PRAYER. 

Almighty  God,  our  Heavenly  Father,  Thou  art  our 
God,  and  we  will  praise  Thee;  our  fathers'  God,  and 
we  will  magnify  Thy  name.  We  thank  Thee  for  this 
fair  dwelling-place,  which  has  conn-  to  us  by  inheri- 
tance. We  recognize  and  adore  thai  gracious  provi- 
dence which,  through  various  trials  and  troubles,  and 
the  faithful  efforts  and  sacrifices  of  successive  gen- 
erations, established  our  fathers  in  this  land,  and 
made  them  to  dwell  therein  in  safety,  liberty,  and 
independence.  We  recognize  and  adore  thai  provi- 
dence which  has  been  rich  in  tokens  of  wisdom,  good- 
ness and  mercy  towards  this  city,  from  its  earliest 
foundation  until  now,  when  it  has  become  a  city  sel 
on  a  hill,  the  light  whereof  cannot  be  hid,  —  a  large, 
growing,  prosperous,  orderly  Christian  city,  full  of 
the  institutions  and  influences  of  religion,  education, 


18  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

learning,  art,  science,  philanthropy,  commercial  pros- 
perity and  enterprise,  abounding  in  all  things  that 
tend  to  adorn  and  elevate  life.  Lamenting  the  sins 
that  still  prevail,  we  thank  Thee  for  the  general  intel- 
ligence and  honorable  character  which  have  com- 
monly marked  our  people,  and  especially  we  praise 
Thee  for  all  the  good,  noble  and  distinguished  men, 
whom  from  time  to  time  Thon  hast  raised  up  to  be 
guides  and  leaders  of  public  thought  and  action,  and 
whose  example  and  instructions  in  every  department 
of  life  made  them  a  blessing  and  a  benefit  to  their 
generations,  so  that  their  names  come  down  to  us  in 
honored  remembrance. 

We  thank  Thee  especially  for  the  life,  character, 
and  services  of  him  to  whose  honor  and  memory  we 
here  and  now  gratefully  erect  this  Statue.  O  God! 
let  Thy  blessing  rest  upon  this  work  of  our  hands  and 
expression  of  our  hearts.  Let  this  Statue  abide  for 
long  years  and  successive  generations,  and  while  it 
presents  to  us  who  remember  him,  and  will  ever  pre- 
sent to  those  who  come  after  us,  a  clear  and  striking 
delineation  of  his  form  and  person,  may  it  ever  and 
always  speak  to  us,  and  to  the  successive  generations 
as  they  pass,  of  his  worth,  and  virtues,  and  usefulness; 
of  his  industry  in  improving  every  talent  entrusted, 
eveiy  opportunity  offered  to  him ;  of  his  integrity  ever 
unimpeached,   his   honor    unstained,   his   fidelity   to 


DEDICATION     KXERI   [KES 


every  trust;  of  the  simplicity,  purify,  patriotism  and 
piety  that  marked,  pervaded  and  imbued  hie  chai 
ter  and  conducl  in  all  the  scenes  and  largely  varied 
offices  and  responsibilities  which  he  w.i-  called  to 
assume  in  his  long  and  useful  life;  and  thus,  O  God, 
grant  that  his  memory  may  abide,  and  enshrined  here 
on  this  spot,  may  it  be  ;m  incentive  to  .-ill  to  imitate 
him  in  all  social,  civil,  patriotic  and  Christian 
duty. 

Let  Thy  blessing,  O  God.  resl  upon  the  present 
Chief  Magistrate  of  our  city,  and  upon  all  associated 
with  him  in  the  management  of  our  municipal  affairs, 
that  they  may  be  faithful  to  their  trusts,  and  promote 
in  all  directions  the  best  interests  of  our  people. 
Let  Thy  blessing  rest  upon  everything  dear  and  valu- 
able to  this  community  and  to  our  country.  Stay 
the  strife  of  parties  and  pour  oil  upon  the  troubled 
waters  everywhere.  Here  among  ourselves,  and 
everywhere  throughout  our  broad  land,  in  all  sec- 
tions of  it,  let  there  prevail  more  and  more  a  spirit 
that  shall  bind  us  all  together,  as  one  people,  in  the 
holy  fellowship  of  patriotic  duty,  and  of  pure  and 
holy  living  —  that  righteousness  which  alone  exalteth 
—  which  we  ask  to  the  glory  of  Thy  holy  name  in 
Christ  Jesus,  our  Lord,  ascribing  unto  Thee  everlast- 
ing praises.     Amen. 


20  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

Alderman    Tucker,    chairman  of   the  Statue  Committee, 
then  presented  the  Statue  to  the  Mayor,  as  follows  :  — 


ALDERMAN  TUCKER'S  ADDRESS. 

Mr.  Mayor,  —  It  becomes  my  pleasant  duty,  as  a 
representative  of  the  legislative  department  of  the 
City  Council,  to  surrender  to  you  this  Statue  of 
Josiah  Quincy,  who,  in  the  early  history  of  this  city, 
made  an  illustrious  record  in  the  position  you  now 
hold  as  Mayor  of  Boston.  This  duty  is  rendered 
especially  gratifying  from  the  fact  that  this  Statue 
represents  the  first  fruits  of  the  beneficent  spirit 
which  actuated  our  fellow-citizen,  Jonathan  Phillips, 
when  he  donated  the  fund  from  which  its  cost  is 
defrayed.  Mr.  Phillips  died  in  1860,  leaving  a  legacy 
of  $20,000  to  the  City  of  Boston,  providing  that  the 
income  thereof  should  be  expended  by  the  Board  of 
Aldermen,  with  the  approval  of  the  Mayor,  to  adorn 
and  embellish  the  streets  and  public  places  of  the 
city;  and,  for  the  first  time  since  the  bequest  was 
made,  we  are  assembled  together  to  witness  material 
evidence  of  the  testator's  generosity.  It  is,  sir,  both 
fortunate  and  appropriate,  that  the  subject  chosen 
should  be  one  whose  foresight  and  wisdom  rendered 
him  conspicuous  in  the  history  of  the  municipality, 
and  who  dictated  a  line  of  policy  which,  being  pur- 


DEDICATION     EXERCI81  2 1 

sued  by  his  successors,  has  nol  only  done  much  to 
embellish  our  city,  bul  has  also  been  fruitful  in  more 
substantial  advantages.     It  is  not  fitting  al    this  time 

that  I  should  pronounce  any  encomi -  on  Josiah 

Quincy.  Upon  you,  Mr.  Mayor,  hoi  more  from  the 
position  you  now  hold,  than  by  early  and  intimate 
relations  with  Mr.  Quincy  during  his  life,  devolves 
this  honorable  privilege.  Bui  allow  me  to  say  thai  I 
believe  it  will  afford  the  greatesl  satisfaction  t<>  our 
citizens  to  see  this  tribute  to  the  memory  of  one  wrho 
did  so  much  for  the  city  he  governed  so  well. 

Mayor  Prince  received  the  Statue  in  behalf  of  the  city, 
and  pronounced  the  following  Oration,  al  the  conclusion  of 
which  the  benediction  was  pronounced  by  Dr.  Lothrop,  and 
the  audience  dispersed  to  music  by  the  Band. 


ORATIO  X, 


BY    u\<    iiomh: 


FREDERICK     0.     PRINCE, 


Gentlemen  of  the  City  Council  a  ml  F>  II  <,,<•- Cit- 
izens :  — 

The  Honorable  Jonathan  Phillips,  who  died  in 
1860,  gave  by  his  will  to  the  City  of  Boston,  Kthe 
sum  of  twenty  thousand  dollars  as  a  trusl  fund,  the 
income  from  which  shall  be  annually  expended  i<> 
adorn  and  embellish  the  streets  and  public  places  in 
said  city."  In  accepting  the  bequest,  the  City  Coun- 
cil directed  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  with  the  approval 
of  the  Mayor,  to  expend  the  income  of  the  fund  in 
compliance  with  the  terms  of  the  trust. 

This  donation  was  received  in  1861,  hut  nothing- 
was  done  in  fulfilment  of  the  objects  of  the  testator 
until  the  year  1875,  when  my  predecessor,  Mayor 
Cobb,  finding  the  income  of  the  fund  had  accumulated 
so  largely  as  to  demand  and  justify  some  action  in 
the  direction  of  the  trust,  advised  the  erection  of  a 
statue  in  front  of  City  Hall   and  opposite   to  that  ^>l' 


24  STATUE     OF     .TOSIAH     QUINCY. 

Franklin.  He  took  the  occasion  to  suggest  the  fit- 
ness of  commemorating  by  such  a  monument  the  mu- 
nicipal and  other  public  services  of  Josiah  Quincy. 
The  special  committee  of  the  Board  of  Aldermen,  to 
whom  was  referred  the  recommendation  of  His  Honor, 
reported  that  "  if  the  money  is  to  be  used  for  the  pur- 
pose of  erecting  a  statue,  there  appears  to  be  but  one 
opinion  as  to  the  propriety  of  selecting  that  of  Josiah 
Quincy,  whose  valuable  services  in  organizing  our 
municipal  government  will  always  be  gratefully  re- 
membered by  the  citizens  of  Boston,  and  whose 
example,  as  an  able,  energetic,  and  upright  magistrate 
will  ever  continue  to  exert  a  powerful  influence  upon 
our  municipal  councils."  Accompanying  the  report 
was  an  order  authorizing  the  erection  of  a  statue  of 
this  distinguished  man. 

I  need  not  say  that  the  action  of  the  Government 
in  this  matter  expressed  the  sentiments  and  received 
the  hearty  approval  of  our  citizens. 

Soon  after  the  passage  of  the  order  a  contract  was 
made  for  the  work  with  that  eminent  Boston  artist, 
Thomas  Ball. 

It  now  stands  before  you.  There  may  be  differ- 
ences of  opinion,  resulting  from  differences  in  aesthetic 
tastes  and  judgment,  touching  the  artistic  merits  of 
this  statue.  We  rarely  find  in  art-criticism  entire 
concordance ;  but  I  think  it  will  be  generally  regarded 


OH  \'l  [ON  26 

as  a  faithful,  successful,  and  elegant  representation  of 
him  we  honor  to-day.  [f  I  am  right  in  this  we  bave 
fulfilled  the  testamentary  desires  of  our  munificent 
benefactor,  for  the  image  of  one  so  much  respected 
and  beloved  will  assuredly  "adorn  and  embellish" 
this  "  public  place  of  the  city." 

Mr.  Quincy  was  so  well  known  i<>  the  citizens  of 
Boston,  he  was  before  them  -<>  many  years  of  his 
long  and  useful  life,  and  filled  so  many  important 
offices,  that  it  seems  unnecessary  and  superfluous  for 
me,  even  were  I  fitted  for  the  grateful  task,  t<»  portray 
at  length  his  character,  or  recite  his  many  public  ser- 
vices. It  has  already  been  done,  and  well  done,  by 
the  hand  of  filial  affection.  I  can  say  nothing  new 
of  the  subject.  But  it  is  expected  that  on  this  occa- 
sion I  should  glance  upon  some  of  the  prominent 

features  of  Mr.  Quincy's  character,  and  refer  to  > - 

of  the  important  acts  of  his  life,  not  only  for  the 
information  of  the  younger  portion  of  our  citizens, 
who  came  upon  the  stage  of  life  after  lii>  official  ca- 
reer had  ended,  and  therefore  had  not  the  same  op- 
portunities of  knowing  him  as  those  who  were  about 
him;  but  for  the  benefit  of  those  to  be  found  in  every 
community  —  strange  as  it  may  seem — who,  living- 
near  the  age  of  distinguished  men,  have  often  little 
or  no  knowledge  of  their  lives  or  actions.  The  ac- 
complished biographer  of  Mr.  Quincy  tells  us  in  the 


26  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

preface  to  his  most  delightful  book  that  he  had  met 
"  well-educated  persons  who  had  never  heard  of 
Fisher  Ames,  and  even  gentlemen  of  the  law  whose 
notions  of  Samuel  Dexter  were  nebulous  to  the  last 
degree." 

Mr.  Quincy  inherited  a  name  distinguished  in 
several  generations  for  the  highest  civic  virtues,  for 
patriotism,  public  spirit,  love  of  liberty,  respect  for 
law,  hatred  of  wrong,  sympathy  for  suffering,  and 
sacred  regard  for  honor.  His  father  —  known  in 
history  as  Josiah  Quincy,  Junior  —  was  one  of  the 
organizers  and  brilliant  orators  of  the  Revolution. 
He  was  eminent,  notwithstanding  his  early  death  at 
the  age  of  thirty-three,  among  the  great  men  who 
moulded  public  opinion  and  guided  public  action  in 
those  eventful  days.  Many  of  his  great  qualities 
were  transmitted  to  his  son.  The  youth  of  the 
latter  was  carefully  trained  by  a  wise  and  devoted 
mother,  and  he  early  felt  the  desire  and  recognized 
the  duty  of  moral  and  mental  cultivation  "  as  the 
noblest  of  human  pursuits."  He  showed  his  deep 
sense  of  the  importance  of  this  cultivation  by  upbraid- 
ing himself  on  one  occasion,  notwithstanding  his 
great  and  conscientious  industry  in  his  studies,  for 
not  having  done  more,  and  resolving  "  to  be  more 
circumspect  in  future;  to  hoard  his  moments  with 
more  thrifty  spirit;  to  listen  less  to  the  suggestions  of 


or  \t i <>  v  27 

indolence,  and  so  quicken  thai    spirit    of  intellectual 

improvement  to  which  he  devotes  his  li! 

The  inscription  upon  the  pedestal  of  the  statue 
informs  the  spectator  thai  Josiah  Quincy  was  born 
in  1772  and  died  in  lsi;i ;  thai  he  served  the  people  as 
State  Senator,  as  representative  to  the  National  Con- 
gress, as  one  of  the  judges,  as  Mayor  of  Boston,  and 
as  President  of  Harvard  University.  The  record 
shows  that  in  all  these  important  capacities  he  acted 
well  his  part,  and  made  the  people  his  debtors. 

He  seems  to  have  had  a  Spartan  conviction  tii.it 
his  time,  his  talents,  and  all  his  services  were  due  to 
the  State;  for,  during  his  long  life,  —  extended  beyond 
his  ninety-second  birthday,  —  it  may  be  said  that  he 
was  constantly  employed,  either  in  official  service  or 
in  illustrating-  by  his  pen  political  subjects,  or  subjects 
in  which  the  public  was  interested.  IK-  did  not  all<>\\ 
himself  rest  even  after  he  had  attained  the  great  auv 
of  eighty  years,  for  he  then  commenced  the  composi- 
tion of  his  admirable  life  of  that  distinguished  stat 
man  and  philosopher,  John  Quincy  Adams.  I  maj 
add  in  respect  to  his  writings  that  he  touched  nothing 
which  he  did  not  adorn  with  a  wealth  of  solid  infor- 
mation and  valuable  and  instructive  reflection.  It  is 
remarkable  that  he  retained  his  mental  powers  tor  so 
many  years  without  showing  evidence  of  decay  or 
decrepitude.     This  is  without  doubt  due  to  his  tern- 


28  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUIXCY. 

perance,  his  industry,  his  systematic  habits,  and  his 
great  love  of  work. 

In  1793  Mr.  Quincy  was  admitted  to  the  bar.  He 
was  then  twenty-one  years  of  age.  The  practice  of 
the  law  does  not  seem  to  have  been  congenial  to  his 
tastes,  for  he  did  not  continue  long  in  it.  In  1798  he 
was  selected  to  deliver  the  Fourth- of- July  oration  at 
the  town  celebration  of  the  anniversary  of  indepen- 
dence, and  the  reputation  he  obtained  by  it  induced 
the  Federalists  to  select  him  as  their  candidate 
for  representative  to  Congress.  He  was  then  only 
twenty-eight  years  old,  and  his  biographer  observes 
that  his  age  was  considered  so  infantile  that  the 
Democratic  papers  called  aloud  for  a  cradle  in  which 
to  rock  the  Federal  candidate.  He  was  not  success- 
ful at  this  election,  although  he  had  a  majority  of  the 
votes  of  the  town  of  Boston,  then  only  a  part  of  the 
first  congressional  district. 

In  the  spring  of  1804  he  was  elected  to  the  State 
Senate,  and  in  November  of  the  same  year,  having 
been  again  nominated  by  the  Federalists  as  their  can- 
didate, he  was  chosen  representative  to  the  Ninth 
Congress. 

Mr.  Quincy  at  once  made  the  most  diligent  and 
thorough  preparation  for  the  discharge  of  his  con- 
gressional duties,  his  studies  embracing  history  and 
politics,  especially  that  part  of  both  subsequent  to 


ORATION.  29 

the   adoption    of   the    federal    constitution.      Partj 

spirit  at  this  period  was  mosl  intense  and  bitter. 
The  Federalists  were  greatly  in  the  minority  in  both 
branches  of  Congress;  but   they  comprised   manj  of 

the  ablest  and  mosl  eminent  men  of  the  country. 
Mr.  Quincy  took  at  once  a  prominent  position  among 
them,  which  he  held  during  all  the  eighl  years  In- 
served  in  Congress. 

As  we  look  at  his  public  character,  be  appears  to 
us  as  a  successful  orator,  an  accomplished  statesman, 

and  an  able  magistrate. 

Let  us  consider  him  in  these  relations.  His  cult- 
ure, his  classic  learning,  his  stores  of  historical  ;m<l 
political  information,  his  earnest  interest  in  what- 
ever engaged  his  attention,  his  zeal  and  enthusiasm, 
his  manly  form,  full  of  grace,  dignity,  and  power, 
must  have  made  his  oratory  most  impressive  and 
effective.  His  forensic  efforts  did  not.  indeed,  exhibit 
that  rare  and  lofty  eloquence  which  distinguished 
those  great  orators  of  ancient  and  modern  times,  who 
still  stir  the  blood,  after  the  occasion,  the  scene,  and 
the  cause  have  passed  away;  but  his  advocacy  was  so 
forcible,  and  marked  by  such  strength  of  reason  and 
felicity  of  illustration,  as  to  call  forth  not  only  the 
admiration  of  those  who  thought  as  he  did  concern- 
ing public  affairs,  but  of  his  political  opponents. 


30  STATUE     OF     JO  SI  AH     QUINCY. 

All  the  testimony  shows  that  at  times  —  indeed 
generally —  his  manner  was  earnest  and  impassioned 
to  the  highest  degree.  His  language,  when  now 
read,  shows  it  must  have  been  so.  His  rhetoric  was 
most  fervid  and  glowing.  He  had  a  ready  and  spark- 
ling wit,  a  delicate  and  pleasing  humor,  and  such 
capacity  for  sarcasm  and  invective  as  must  have  made 
him  formidable  when  excited  in  debate.  Yet  he 
seems  at  all  times,  even  in  the  "  tempest  and  whirl- 
wind of  passion,"  to  have  "  a  temperance,"  so  as 
neither  to  impair  the  force  of  his  argument  nor  give 
advantage  to  his  opponent.  He  had  the  courage  of 
his  convictions  most  forcibly.  He  followed  a  princi- 
ple wherever  it  led,  whatever  the  consequences  to  his 
cause  or  himself;  and  always,  perhaps  unwisely  at 
times,  said  what  he  thought. 

He  often  pressed  the  fight  so  sharply  that  appre- 
hension was  sometimes  felt  by  his  friends  for  his  per- 
sonal safety;  but  fear  was  not  a  part  of  his  nature, 
and  he  always  scorned  the  notion  of  danger,  and 
rejected  all  advice  to  arm  himself  against  attack.  It 
was  evident  that  whatever  differences  of  opinion 
existed  between  Mr.  Quincy  and  his  political  oppo- 
nents, and  however  greatly  they  have  been  irritated 
against  him  at  times  for  language  in  debate,  they 
respected  his  manly  nature,  the  purity  of  his  motives, 


ORATION.  ;;  | 

the  honesty  of  his  opinions,  and   his   conscientious 
discharge  of  duty  according  to  his  convictions. 

He  spoke  on  all  the  important  questions  which 
came  before  Congress,  and  always  with  the  same 
earnestness  and  zeal.  He  could  hardly  do  otherwise, 
for  he  felt  intensely  in  respect  to  everything  which, 
in  his  judgment,  affected  the  interests,  the  safety,  or 
the  honor  of  the  country.  He  was  so  organized  thai 
to  follow  his  convictions  was  a  necessity.  Moral] 
well  as  physically  brave,  to  an  extraordinary  degi 

he  would  not,  because  he  could  not,  compr ise  a 

principle.     He  was 

"Too  fond  of  the  right  to  pursue  the  expedient." 

He  felt,  like  Milton's  angel,  that 

"To  be  weak  was  miserable." 

Once,  therefore,  satisfied  as  to  the  course  which  duty 
required  him  to  follow,  he  followed  it.  wholly  un- 
mindful of  personal  costs  or  consequences. 

I  cannot  forbear  quoting  his  own  words  in  this 
connection:  "I  mean  to  identify  myself  with  no  set 
of  men.  I  shall  do  my  duty  openly,  virtuously,  and 
as  intelligently  as  Heaven  permits  me.  I  shall  not 
seek  to  please  by  any  sacrifice  of  my  real  opinion-. 
I  shall  not  fear  to  offend  any,  if  a  just  view  oi'  my 
country's  interest  obliges  me  to  declare  truths  which 


32  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

will  have  that  effect.  This  course  of  conduct  will  not 
secure  me  place, —  of  which  I  am  less  than  ever  so- 
licitous,—  but  it  will  secure  me  that  sense  of  right  to 
personal  honor,  of  which  I  am  daily  more  and  more 
solicitous." 

His  distinguished  father,  when  reproached  for 
defending  the  British  soldiers  indicted  for  the 
Boston  massacre,  declared  that  he  "never  harbored 
the  expectation,  nor  any  great  desire,  that  all  men 
should  speak  well  of  him.  To  inquire  my  duty  and 
to  do  it  is  my  aim." 

Can  any  one  doubt  that  the  same  blood  flowed  in 
the  veins  and  animated  the  hearts  of  these  two 
men? 

Mr.  Quincy,  in  his  early  political  life,  clearly  saw 
the  dangers  to  the  Republic  from  the  institution  of 
slavery;  and  unrestrained  by  considerations  of  per- 
sonal interest  or  advantage,  and  impelled  alone  by 
conscientious  regard  for  duty,  took  every  occasion  to 
express  his  opinions  in  relation  to  it.  Earnestly  and 
with  all  his  power  he  protested  against  every  measure 
which  seemed  to  him  directed  to  its  extension  beyond 
its  limits  at  the  adoption  of  the  Federal  Constitution. 
These  protests  are  marked  by  great  vigor  of  lan- 
guage, and  will  be  found  to  contain  some  of  the  best 
specimens  of  impassioned  eloquence  which  American 
oratory  can  boast.      Mr.  Webster  has  said  that  the 


0  RAT  [ON. 

speeches  of  Mr.  Quincy  in  Congress  were  the  b 
and  ablest   ever  delivered  in  thai   body  on  the  influ- 
ence of  slavery. 

It  cannot  be  denied  thai  Mr.  Quincy  possessed  in 
an  eminent  degree  the  qualities  of  a  statesman. 

From  his  first  entrance  into  political  life  he  com- 
prehended fully  the  many  importanl  questions  which 
then  occupied  public  attention,  and  understood  clearly 
what  the  true  interests  of  the  country  demanded.  He 
saAV  with  prophetic  accuracy  the  future  results  of  the 
foreign  and  domestic  policy  of  the  party  in  power, 
detected  with  equal  clearness  the  troubles  to  come 
from  that  box  of  Pandora,  —  the  slavery  question, — 
and  predicted  the  consequences  which  would  follow 
any  attempts  to  extend  the  institution  int<»  new 
Territories  and  States. 

We  may  dissent  from  many  of  his  political  views, 
and  doubt  the  wisdom  of  many  of  the  measures  ln- 
advocated  touching  these  great  questions,  without 
detracting  from  his  claims  to  sagacity  or  discounting 
his  title  to  statesmanship.  It  is  to  be  remembered 
that  the  genius,  spirit,  and  powers  of  the  Federal 
Constitution  were  not  then  as  well  understood  as 
now.  The  relations  of  the  Federal  Government  and 
the  States  to  each  other,  their  mutual  rights  and 
obligations   (not  yet  fully  recognized  and  adjusted. 


34  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

but  then  less  known  than  now),  were  the  subjects  of 
constant  sectional  discussion  and  controversy. 

The  wild  and  radical  speculations  of  the  French 
Revolutionists  touching  government  as  a  science,  the 
rights  of  man,  the  social  compact,  and  other  ques- 
tions of  metaphysical  politics,  had  intoxicated  the 
country  with  their  delirious  fumes,  largely  affected 
the  sentiments  and  opinions  of  the  people,  and  cre- 
ated party  divisions  of  the  most  intense  and  hostile 
character. 

It  is  not  strange  that  under  these  circumstances 
statesmanship  should  have  been  tainted  with  parti- 
sanship, and  that  the  public  men  on  both  sides  should 
have  often  viewed  political  measures  from  mere  party 
stand-points,  and  not  in  that  broad  and  catholic  spirit 
which  patriotism  required  and  the  interests  of  the 
country  demanded. 

The  study  of  Mr.  Quincy's  speeches  in  Congress, 
and  the  examination  of  his  votes,  show  that  he  was  a 
most  intense  Federalist,  firm  in  the  faith  that  his 
party  was  always  right  and  monopolized  the  largest 
share  of  the  patriotism  of  the  times.  Notwithstand- 
ing, however,  the  fixedness  of  his  political  opinions, 
he  was  always  open  to  the  influence  of  reason, 
although,  as  with  most  men  of  strong  convictions,  it 
might  be  sometimes  difficult  to  make  him  feel  its 
force  and  recognize  an  error  of  judgment.     But  he 


OB LTIOK 

did   not    belong   to   thai    unyielding   class,   now 
common,  I  regret  to  say,  who  exull   that  thej  an 
organized  as  not   to  be  open   to  conviction.     There 
were  occasions  when  Mr.  Quincy  >au  that  the  dee  of 
party  should  nol   hind   him,  and   they  were  ignored. 
A  notable  instance  of  this  occurred  when  he  rated 

for  the  bill  to  increase  the  navy  al  the  time  war  with 
England  was  imminent,  notwithstanding  the  Feder- 
alists opposed  the  measure,  ami  he  knew  lie  should 
incur  the  censure  of  his  party  for  his  independent 
action. 

In  subsequent  years,  when  Mr.  Quincy  acted  with 
the  Whigs,  he  ignored  all  party  tics  whatever,  and 
allowed  no  party  dictation  to  control  his  act  ion- 
touching  measures  which,  in  his  judgment,  were 
repugnant  to  the  honor  and  interests  of  the  country. 

Statesmanship  is  but  common  sense  and  common 
honesty  applied  to  public  affairs,  but  the  greatesl  of 
these  is  honesty.  On  these  two  essentials  hang  all 
the  law  and  gospel  of  statesmanship.  He  who 
recognizes  the  duties  of  government  to  the  people, 
and  the  obligations  and  duties  of  nation-  to  each 
other  according  to  the  dictates  of  justice'  and  fair 
dealing,  and  has  the  courage  to  do  what  he  knows 
to  be  right,  is  a  statesman. 

He  may  not  have  the  statecraft  of  a  Machiavelli 
or  a  Richelieu  or  a  Talleyrand  or  a  Bismarck,  but   he 


36  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

will  be  better  fitted  to  guide  the  ship  of  state,  and 
accomplish  the  great  ends  of  government,  —  the 
prosperity  and  happiness  of  the  people. 

The  principles  which  guided  Mr.  Quincy's  political 
action  and  illustrated  his  statesmanship  are  well 
expressed  in  his  oration  at  the  celebration  of  the 
completion  of  the  second  century  from  the  settlement 
of  Boston.  "  What,"  says  he,  "  are  the  elements  of 
the  liberty,  prosperity,  and  safety,  which  the  inhab- 
itants of  ~New  England  at  this  day  enjoy?  Those 
elements  are  simple,  obvious,  and  familiar.  Every 
civil  and  religious  blessing  of  New  England,  all  that 
has  given  happiness  to  human  life  or  security  to 
human  virtue,  is  alone  to  be  perpetuated  in  the  forms 
and  under  the  auspices  of  a  free  Commonwealth. 
The  Commonwealth  itself  has  no  other  strength  or 
hope  than  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of  individuals 
who  compose  it.  For  the  intelligence  and  virtue  of 
individuals  there  is  no  other  human  assurance  than 
laws  providing  for  the  education  of  the  whole 
people.  These  laws  themselves  have  no  strength  or 
efficient  sanction  except  in  the  moral  and  accountable 
nature  of  man  disclosed  in  the  records  of  the  Christian 
faith.  The  great  comprehensive  truths,  written  in 
letters  of  living  light  on  every  page  of  our  history, 
the  language  addressed  by  every  past  age  of  'New 
England  to  all  future  ages,  is  this:  'Human  happi- 


ORATION,  37 

ness  has  no  perfed  security  bul  freedom;  freedom 
none  but  virtue;  virtue  none  hut  knowledge:  and 
neither  freedom,  nor  virtue  aor  knowledge  has  any 
vigor  or  immortal  hope  excepl  in  the  principles  of 
the  Christian  faith,  and  in  the  sanctions  of  ihe 
Christian  religion.' " 

Such  sentiments  are  conclusive  proof  that  he 
who  uttered  them  was  not  only  a  statesman,  but 
a  Christian. 

As  a  magistrate  and  an  executive  officer  Mr. 
Quincy's  capacity  was  most  conspicuous. 

When  Boston  first  became  a  city,  although  opposed 
to  the  acceptance  of  a  city  charter,  in  the  belief  that 
the  town  organization  was  better  suited  t<>  the  char- 
acter and  genius  of  the  New  England  people  than 
the  less  democratic  government  of  a  civic  corporation, 
the  prominent  citizens  felt  that  he  was  besi  lit  ted  t<> 
organize  and  administer  the  new  form  of  govern- 
ment. He  had  already  greatly  interested  himself  in 
mairy  matters  of  municipal  concern,  especially  in 
those  relating  to  the  provision  for  the  poor  and  the 
treatment  of  the  vicious  and  criminal.  In  1821,  as 
chairman  of  a  legislative  committee  charged  with 
the  consideration  of  these  subjects,  he  had  submitted 
a  most  exhaustive  and  instructive  report  thereon: 
and  was    soon    afterward    appointed   chairman   o{  a 


38  STATUE     OFJOSIAH     QUINCY. 

town  committee  on  the  same  matter.  Upon  his 
recommendation  provision  had  been  made  for  a 
House  of  Industry,  and  a  suitable  building  erected 
at  South  Boston  on  a  tract  of  land  bought  for  the 
purpose.  As  judge  of  the  Municipal  Court  he  had 
in  his  charges  to  the  grand  jury  considered  the 
treatment  of  criminals,  and  indicated  the  reforms 
which  the  civilization  of  the  age  and  the  welfare  of 
society  demanded. 

I  may  here  observe  that  Mr.  Quincy  presided  on 
the  28th  of  March,  1822,  as  the  moderator  of  the  last 
town  meeting  ever  held  by  the  inhabitants  of  Boston 
in  Faneuil  Hall. 

The  nomination  for  mayor  was  tendered  him  by  a 
large  body  of  the  citizens,  irrespective  of  party;  but 
both  Federalists  and  Democrats  saw  fit  to  nominate 
candidates,  and  he  wanted  about  one  hundred  votes 
for  a  majority.  On  a  second  trial  he  withdrew  his 
name,  and  Mr.  John  Phillips  was  elected  the  first 
mayor  of  Boston.  Upon  the  retirement  of  the  latter, 
at  the  close  of  the  year,  Mr.  Quincy  was  elected, 
almost  without  opposition,  his   successor. 

He  was  eminently  fitted  for  the  place;  for  he 
brought  to  the  discharge  of  its  duties  grest  powers 
of  organization,  great  capacity  for  work,  great  in- 
dustry, remarkable  directness  and  celerity  of  action, 
and    excellent   judgment.      His    love    of    labor   and 


OH  \  T  l  ON. 

desire   for  improvement    kepi    him  constantly   bui 
and  every  municipal  department  felt  bis  influei 

Immediately  upon  entering  upon  the  duties  of  bis 
office  he  made  himself  chairman  of  all  the  aldermanic 
committees,  and  personally  supervised  and  directed 
the  various  matters  under  their  charge,  doing  gen- 
erally the  largest  part  of  the  work.  Il<  introduced 
many  salutary  changes  and  important  reforms,  1»\ 
which  he  promoted  the  comfort,  increased  the  safety, 
and  improved  the  beauty  of  the  city.  Without 
attempting  any  detailed  account  of  his  official  work, 
I  will  merely  say  that  under  his  administration  pau- 
pers and  criminals  were  separated  and  cared  for:  the 
House  of  Correction  and  the  House  of  Reformation 
for  juvenile  offenders  established;  the  police  and  fire 
departments  reorganized;  various  improvements  in- 
troduced into  the  public-school  system,  and  the 
Faneuil  Hall  market-house  erected. 

It  seems  to  me  proper  to  say  here  a  lew  words 
touching  the  services  of  Mr.  Quincy  in  respect  t«» 
the  establishment  of  this  last-named  most  important 
civic  institution. 

Without  imposing  the  tax  or  the  debt  of  a  dollar 
upon  the  city,  he  filled  the  old  Town  I  >ock,  so  called; 
removed  large  numbers  of  old  and  worthless  build- 
ings  occupied  by  the  lowest  of  the  population,  and 
constituting   the  Five   Points   of   Boston;    laid    out 


40  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

anew  the  territory  so  as  to  make  six  new  streets, 
besides  greatly  enlarging  another;  constructed  ex- 
tensive docks  and  built  a  granite  market-house,  two 
stories  high,  five  hundred  and  thirty-five  feet  long 
and  fifty  feet  wide,  covering  twenty-seven  thousand 
square  feet  of  land.  The  lots  made  by  filling  the 
dock,  and  the  improved  value  of  the  estates  bought  by 
the  city  to  carry  out  the  enterprise  more  than  paid 
for  its  cost.  Few  can  appreciate  the  extent  and  im- 
portance of  this  improvement  who  do  not  know  the 
character  and  appearance  of  this  part  of  the  city 
before  it  was  made. 

The  scheme  when  first  suggested  was,  of  course, 
opposed,  as  all  great  public  improvements  usually 
are.  The  timid  doubt  success;  the  cautious  fear 
expense;  the  conservative  oppose  change;  the  dema- 
gogue springs  the  rattle  of  misrepresentation  and 
detraction,  so  that  the  people  are  embarrassed  to  dis- 
criminate between  a  wise  and  an  unwise  economy. 
Our  city  has  had  and  is  having  many  such .  experi- 
ences. 

The  zeal  and  good  management  of  Mr.  Quincy 
surmounted  every  obstacle  and  overcame  all  opposi- 
tion.  To  him,  and  him  alone,  belongs  the  credit  of 
this  great  work.  It  may  be  said,  and  truly  said,  that 
if  he  had  distinguished  his  administration  by  nothing- 
else,  this  important  structure,  and  the  improvement  of 


OB  \  i  ion.  II 

the  territory  in  its  vicinity,  would  have  alone  made 
his  name  honorable  to  the  citizens  and  justified  the 
erection  of  this  statue  to  his  memory.  Bui  no 
monument  is  needed  to  perpetuate  the  remembrance 
of  his  services  in  this  work.  The  work  itself  is  his 
monument.  We  can  poinl  to  ii  and  Bay  of  him,  as 
was  said  of  the  architect  of  St.  Paul's:  — 

"  Si  monument  11  in  requiris,  circumspuH  ." 

But  it  was  not  merely  because  he  improved  the 
architecture  of  Boston,  nor  because  he  organized 
and  established  penal,  reformatory,  and  eleemosynary 
institutions,  that  Mr.  Quincyis  honored  by  a  grateful 
city.  He  was  most  energetic  in  the  enforcement  of 
the  laws,  in  the  correction  of  abuses,  in  the  protection 
of  the  rights  of  the  city,  and  in  the  introduction  of 
systematic  and  economic  methods  in  the  transaction 
of  municipal  business.  He  loved  Boston.  !!<•  was 
proud  of  its  history,  of  its  Revolutionary  record,  <»f 
its  devotion  to  the  great  principles  of  civil  and 
religious  liberty,  and  of  the  influence  of  ii-  citizens 
in  shaping  the  institutions  of  the  country.  Be  Loved 
it  "as  an  Athenian  loved  the  city  of  the  violet  crown  : 
as  a  Roman  loved  the  Maxima  rerum  Jin,/,,/."  "In 
Boston,"  says  he,  "I  was  born.  In  Boston  I  have 
lived,  and  from  Boston  I  choose  to  be  buried." 

It  is  right  that  Boston  should   honor  him.     It  is 


42  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

not  too  much  to  say  that  our  city  is  to-day  in  a  better 
condition  —  its  public  institutions  better,  its  name 
and  reputation  better,  and  its  honor  higher — because 
Josiah  Quincy  was  mayor  for  six  years. 

There  were  some  improvements  suggested  by  him 
which  we  all  now  regret  were  not  made ;  if  they  had 
been,  the  city  would  to-day  be  enjoying  greater  com- 
fort, convenience,  health,  and  beauty.  Mr.  Quincy, 
in  his  policy,  did  not  confine  himself  merely  to  the 
necessities  of  the  present.  He  believed  that  Boston 
was  destined  to  be  a  metropolis,  and  he  wished  to 
provide  for  the  wants  of  such.  There  is  no  doubt 
that  if  some  of  his  designs  had  been  carried  out  we 
should  have  saved  many  of  the  millions  we  have 
been  compelled  to  spend  in  widening  streets  and  in 
other  civic  accommodations.  We  can  yet  entitle 
ourselves  to  the  gratitude  of  the  future  by  taking 
counsel  of  his  wise  foresight  and  his  expanded  views 
of  municipal  requirements. 

Public  benefactors  not  unfrequently  fail  of  appre- 
ciation in  their  lifetime.  The  reforms  and  improve- 
ments made  by  Mr.  Quincy  in  the  interest  of  good 
government  aroused  the  opposition  of  some  who 
were  disturbed  by  them.     This  was  to  be  expected. 

"No  nian  e'er  felt  the  halter  draw, 
With  good  opinion  of  the  law." 

As  he  said  in  his  first  inaugural,  "  In  administer- 


Ml;  IT  J  ON 


ing  the  police,  in  executing  the  laws,  in  protecting 
the  rights  and  promoting  the  prosperity  of  the  city, 
its  first  officer  will  be  necessarily  beset  and  assailed 
by  individual  interests,  by  rival  projects,  by  personal 
influences,  by  party  passions.  The  more  firm  and 
inflexible  he  is  in  maintaining  the  rights  and  pursuing 
the  interests  of  the  city,  the  greater  the  probability 
of  his  becoming  obnoxious  to  the  censure  of  all 
whom  he  causes  to  be  prosecuted  or  punished,  of  all 
whose  passion  he  thwarts,  of  all  whose  interests  he 
opposes."  :e  No  man,"  says  he,  on  another  occasion, 
"could  do  his  duty  in  this  office  without  being  tinned 
out  of  it." 

Mr.  Quincy's  prophecy  proved  true  in  hi-  own 
case.  He  had  been  reelected  five  times.  Misrepre- 
sentation and  detraction  organized  a  strong  opposi- 
tion against  him.  At  the  next  election  he  failed  to 
receive  a  majority  of  the  votes  and  withdrew  from 
the  contest,  when  Mr.  Otis  was  elected  to  his  place. 

No  one  to-day  believes  in  the  charges  made  againsl 
him  by  his  opponents.  No  one  doubts  his  adminis- 
trative ability,  his  sagacious  judgment  in  the  manage- 
ment of  civic  affairs,  his  untainted  honesty,  and  his 
spotless  integrity.  The  charges  and  accusations  "f 
his  enemies  have  dissipated  through  their  utter 
groundlessness.  I  once  saw  somewhere  a  picture 
representing    some    foolish    archers    shooting    their 


44  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

harmless  arrows  at  the  sun.  Beneath  the  picture 
was  written  Solem  nulla  sagitta  ferit:  ~No  arrow 
strikes  the  sun.  It  well  illustrates  the  impotency  of 
political  slander.  The  arrows  aimed  at  Mr.  Quiney 
fell  far  short  of  their  mark,  and  made  no  wound. 

Nothing  shows  more  the  manliness  of  Mr.  Quincy's 
nature  than  his  valedictory  declaration,  "  that  he  re- 
tired from  office  with  a  consciousness  weighed  against 
which  all  human  suffrages  were  but  as  the  light  dust 
of  the  balance."  He  seems,  however,  to  have  felt  a 
moment's  pain,  as  we  can  easily  believe,  that  after  so 
much  time  and  labor  expended  in  behalf  of  the  citi- 
zens; after  having  accomplished  so  much  for  the 
lasting  benefit  of  the  city  and  for  the  promotion  of  its 
interests;  after  all  his  faithful,  honest,  and  disinter- 
ested service,  —  he  should  have  been  thus  requited. 
But  doubtless  he  consoled  himself  with  the  philo- 
sophic reflection  that  other  officials  before  him  had 
been  as  badly  treated,  and  others  after  him  would 
share  the  same  fate;  that,  if  he  was  patient,  time, 
which  at  last  makes  all  things  even,  would  permit 
party  prejudice  to  subside,  so  that  the  record  could 
be  made  up  according  to  justice  and  truth. 

Upon  the  retirement  of  Mr.  Quiney  from  the 
mayoralty,  the  friends  and  Fellows  of  Harvard 
College  saw  that  his  great  administrative  abilities 
eminently  fitted  him  for  the  presidency  of  that  insti- 


ORATION.  j.~ 

tution,  which  was  then  vacant.  In  financial  affaire 
were  at  thai   time  greatly  confused,  and  a   practical 

man  of  business  was  needed  to  put  them  in  proper 
condition. 

He  was  unanimously  nominated  by  the  corporation 
for  the  office,  and  the  nomination  was  subsequently 
confirmed  by  the  Board  of  Overseers.  He  held  the 
place  for  sixteen  years,  and  it  is  generally  admitted 
that  his  administration  was  a  greal  success. 

This  occasion  does  not  permit  me  to  point  oul  the 
particular  reforms  he  accomplished,  oor  the  various 
improvements  he  introduced  into  that  institution.  To 
do  so  would  require  more  time  than  would  be  proper 
for  me  to  ask,  or  you  to  give.  I  will  only  say  thai 
they  were  many  and  important,  and  have  resulted  in 
lasting  benefit  to  the  college. 

President  Walker,  —  Mr.  Quincy'e  third  successor, 
—  whose  official  position  gave  him  ample  knowledge 
of  what  the  latter  had  accomplished,  says:  "  1  baye 
been  led  to  review  with  some  care  his  administration 
of  the  college,  and  the  eifect  of  it  has  been  greatly  to 
increase  my  sense  of  the  obligation  the  college  is 
under  to  him.  Sixteen  years  of  more  devoted,  unre- 
mitting, unwearied  work  in  the  service  of  a  public 
institution  were  never  spent  by  mortal  man:  and 
when  we  call  to  mind  the  state  of  things  at  the 
time  of  the  appointment,  it  seems  to  me  that  he  will 


46  •     STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     Ql'INCY. 

be  forever  remembered  as  the  great  organizer  of  the 
university." 

Such  was  Josiah  Quincy  as  orator,  statesman,  and 
magistrate.  He  was  more  than  these;  he  was  a  true 
patriot  and  a  Christian  gentleman.  To  say  this  of 
any  one  is  to  say  all  that  eulogy  requires. 

The  patriotism  of  Mr.  Quincy  was  of  the  purest 
and  most  exalted  character.  During  all  his  long  and 
well-spent  life  his  heart  was  full  of  care  and  solicitude 
for  his  country.  He  was  ever  concerned  for  the  repu- 
tation, the  honor,  and  the  interests  of  the  republic 
and  its  institutions.  Whatever  affected  the  cause  of 
liberty,  civil  and  religious,  affected  him.  He  would 
have  made  any  sacrifices  demanded  by  patriotism, 
whatever  the  personal  cost  or  consequence.  If  he 
had  lived  in  the  days  which  tried  men's  souls,  he 
wpuld  have  uttered  the  same  revolutionary  eloquence 
which  distinguished  his  illustrious  sire,  and  perhaps 
been  found  on  the  same  battle-field  where  fell  his 
father's  friend,  the  immortal  Warren.  His  heroic 
nature  is  well  shown  in  his  benedictive  letter  to  his 
grandson  on  his  departure  for  the  war  then  waging 
for  the  preservation  of  the  Union.  I  know  nothing 
in  modern  language  so  touching  and  pathetic.  It 
glows   with   all    the  patriotic   spirit  of   the   Spartan 


ORATION.  17 

mother  arming  her  son  for  the  battle,  refined  by  th< 
humane  sentiments  which  the  cruel  policj  of  thai 
martial  race  bo  severely  repressed,  and  sanctified  bi 
the  tenderness  natural  to  consanguinity.  His  ardent 
love  of  country,  his  recognition  of  the  duties  of  the 
citizen  in  the  great  crisis,  his  pride  in  the  patriotism 
of  the  young  soldier  who  shared  his  blood  and  bore 
his  honored  name,  and  his  tender  affection  for  him, 
are  all  most  feelingly  and  eloquently  expressed.  No 
one  can  doubt  where  Josiah  Quincy  would  have  been 
in  the  recent  contest  of  the  country  for  its  life  but 
for  the  impeding  weight  of  his  greal   . 

His  patriotism  led  him  to  a  firm  belief  in  the  ulti- 
mate success  of  the  Union  cause.  He  never  doubted 
from  the  first  that  the  integrity  of  the  government 
would  be  maintained.  This  assurance  was  not  born 
of  hope,  the  sentiment  of  the  weak;  it  was  the  child 
of  faith,  which  is  the  conviction  of  the  strong.  He 
could  not  believe,  he  would  not  believe,  that  this 
great  country,  with  its  free  government,  the  best 
adapted  for  the  promotion  of  human  happiness  which 
ingenuity  has  ever  devised,  or  the  world  r\w  seen, 
the  hope  of  the  oppressed  of  all  nation-,  could  be 
broken  up  and  destroyed.  He  died  before  the  flag 
of  secession  went  down;  but  he  closed  his  eyes  as 
well  assured  of  what  the  end  would  be  as  though  he 


48  STATUE     OF     JOSIAH     QUINCY. 

heard   the  shouts  of  our  victorious  columns  on  the 
surrender  at  Appomattox  Court-House. 

We  owe  to  Mr.  Quincy  infinite  gratitude  for  the 
instructive  example  he  has  given  the  world  of  the 
usefulness  of  old  age,  and  of  the  unwisdom  of  grow- 
ing old.  Most  men  think  that  when  "  the  way  of  life 
is  fallen  into  the  sere,  the  yellow  leaf,"  the  season 
and  duty  of  work  is  over,  that  they  must  then  hiber- 
nate like  the  irrational  animals.  Not  so  thought  Mr. 
Quincy.  He  kept  his  intellectual  faculties  bright 
by  their  constant  use,  and  retained  to  the  last  his 
interest  in  all  the  matters  and  things  which  had  occu- 
pied his  attention  through  life,  especially  in  those 
which  concerned  the  country.  He  felt  it  a  duty  not 
to  grow  old  before  it  was  necessary,  and  that  time  in 
his  judgment  never  comes  until  the  capacity  for 
useful  action  is  gone.  He  was  ever  engaged  in  some 
intellectual  occupation,  and  as  fast  as  one  work  was 
completed,  another  was  undertaken.  He  recognized 
the  obligation  to  men  in  the  Hebrew  poem  — 

"  They  shall  bring  forth  fruit  in  old  age." 

"  There  is  no  period  of  a  man's  life,"  says  a  witty 
and  distinguished  divine,  "  in  which  he  has  a  right  to 
put  himself  on  the  shelf ;  there  are  but  two  persons 
who  have  the  right  to  lay  you  aside,  —  your  doctor 


OH  \  I  ln\ 


19 


and  the  sexton.  Everj  man  owes  to  himself  and  to 
his  kind,  as  an  example  that  is  influential  upon  the 
young,  the  continued  exertion  of  his  ripe  powers  to 
the  very  end  of  life."  So  thought  Mr.  Quincy,  and 
so  thinking  he  acted  ;  and  so  should  all  men  think  and 
act  when  they  remember  whal  capacity  for  thought 
and  action  has  been  implanted  within  them  l»\  the 
Divine  Creator,  and  the  sin  of  permitting  this  capacity 
to 

— ''t'u-i  in  ii-  unused." 

The  City  of  Boston  has  erected  statues  to  com- 
memorate those  who  have  had  more  genius,  a  broader 
intellect,  a  larger  culture;  and  who  attained  a  loftier 
niche  in  the  temple  of  fame  than  he  whom  we  honor 
to-day?  Here  at  our  side  is  the  monumenl  of  Frank- 
lin; not  far  off  stand  those  of  Everett,  Webster,  and, 
the  greatest  of  this  triumvirate,  Hamilton;  the  mag- 
nificent statue  of  the  peerless  Washington  is  the  ad- 
miration of  all  who  enter  the  Public  Garden;  but  1 
venture  the  assertion  that  none  of  these  has  made  a 
more  faithful  use  of  such  talents  as  God  gave  him, 
recognized  more  conscientiously  the  obligations  of 
duty,  or  left  a  more  spotless  name.  His  honor  is 
without  stain.  His  record  will  be  vainly  searched  for 
any  coarse,  vulgar,  or  dishonest  act.  His  life  exhibits 
the  simple  virtues,  the  plain,  upright  bearing  and 
conduct  of  one  who  feared  God,  and  God  only:  of 


50  STATUE     OF     JO  SI  AH     QUINCY. 

one  who  possessed  that  most  valuable  of  all  posses- 
sions,—  self-respect. 

At  the  great  age  of  ninety-two  years,  surrounded 
by  all 

—  "  which  should  accompany  old  age, 
As  honor,  love,  obedience — troops  of  friends," 

he  died. 

The  city  has  wisely  erected  this  monument  to  com- 
memorate her  benefactor.  The  spot  is  well  chosen. 
It  not  only  stands  in  a  "  public  place,"  in  accordance 
with  the  testamentary  direction  of  Mr.  Phillips,  but 
beside  the  statue  of  Franklin,  the  friend  of  both  the 
father  and  grandfather  of  our  distinguished  mayor. 
If  we  could  believe  that  bronze  might  feel  and  speak, 
what  welcome  would  the  great  philosopher,  patriot, 
and  statesman,  give  his  companion  as  he  mounts  his 
pedestal !  With  what  interest  would  the  two  review 
the  eventful  past,  and  how  would  they  exult  and  con- 
gratulate each  other  that  our  terrible  civil  war  was  at 
last  ended;  the  States  no  longer  "  dissevered,  discord- 
ant, belligerent;"  the  flag  everywhere  respected,  and 
the  country  commencing  a  new  career  of  prosperity 
and  glory !  * 

May  this  image  of  our  great  and  good  magistrate 
not  only  adorn  and  embellish  Boston,  but  inspire 
those  who  shall  be  called  to  execute  the  civic  trusts 


OB  \  T  [ON.  ."» 1 

he  administered  so  well,  to  imitate  hie  official  probity, 

fidelity,  and  zeal,  thai  the  prosperity  of  our  beloved 
city  may  be  advanced,  mid  it-  honor  maintained  in 
the  coming  centuries. 


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.Q7B7         Boston.     City  council. 

Statue  of  Joaiah   Wuincy. 


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